Sun brutally burns comet to death before astronomers eyes in ‘unprecedented’ observation
IN an unprecedented observation, astronomers have observed the sun brutally burning a comet to death.
The observations may help astronomers understand the disappearance of comets that orbit close to the sun.
Discovered in 1999 by the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO), comet 323P/SOHO has been observed for years.
This particular comet is rare because it orbits closer to the sun than Mercury does.
Mercury is our solar system's innermost planet.
In the winter of 2020/2021, scientists noticed something strange was happening to the comet.
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This was the last time the comet approached its perihelion, or its closest point to the sun.
A number of telescopes were pointed towards comet 323P/SOHO as it approached in December 2020.
One telescope, the Subaru, saw a small dot when the comet neared perihelion.
But when the comet then continued on its orbit, it was again picked up by other telescopes, including the Hubble Space.
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This telescope and others noticed that comet 323P/SOHO looked very different.
The comet had a tail of dust that it had not previously been spotted with.
The change is believed to have come from the comet disintegrating as a direct result from the heat it experienced as it came close to the sun.
"The intense radiation from the sun caused parts of the comet to break off due to thermal fracturing, similar to how ice cubes crack when you pour a hot drink over them," the research team said, per .
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The comet also changed color, according to researchers, and began spinning faster than it previously had.
It completed one rotation in only about 30 minutes.